The present disclosure relates generally to a refrigeration system. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a refrigeration system that includes a free cooling system and a mechanical cooling system.
Refrigeration systems are used in a variety of settings and for many purposes. For example, refrigeration systems may include a free cooling system and a mechanical cooling system. In some cases, the free cooling system may include a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, which is used throughout industry and in many heating, ventilating, and air conditioning applications. The latter applications include residential, commercial, and industrial air conditioning systems. Additionally, the mechanical cooling system may be a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, which may include a condenser, an evaporator, a compressor, and/or an expansion device. In the evaporator, liquid or primarily liquid refrigerant is evaporated by drawing thermal energy from an air flow stream and/or a cooling fluid (e.g., water), which may also flow through the liquid-to-air heat exchanger of the free cooling system. In the condenser, the refrigerant is de-superheated, condensed, and sub-cooled. In some cases, refrigeration systems may adjust a speed of a fan of the liquid-to-air heat exchanger and/or a speed of a compressor in the mechanical cooling system to meet a desired cooling demand.